|
TheHeretic -> RE: News in the Off Topic Section (1/30/2008 6:15:10 PM)
|
This is one of those, 'sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't,' subjects, Stephann. It has a lot to do with who posted it to begin with.
I enjoy Level's 'And now, the news' threads. He finds interesting stuff, puts several items together, and it's usually an informative read, even if it doesn't create a lot of discussion. Sometimes a little 'time out' from the more charged conversations is just the thing.
Knowing the general attitude and position of the person who put it up can tell you a lot also. Owner59, just as an example, may post a title, a single line and a link, and an experienced forum person will know it's a Democrat bash, or porn, from what you see on the home page for the forum. I do the same thing sometimes, and I guess others would know it will have either a conservative or strange slant to it.
Quoting is good, but how much? The best stuff is often buried deep in the article, and do you make people less likely to go read the whole thing if you post the first three paragraphs? TOS of the site linked should be considered as well. I'll sometimes link to Michael Yon's blog from Iraq and he requests that quotes be limited to 75 words.
There is also connection speed for the participants to consider. Now that I have something reasonable, I'm much more likely to follow links, but when I was on dial-up it was a lot less frequent, and I skipped the video's completely.
|
|
|
|
